Dave Plummer: Programming, Autism, and Old-School Microsoft Stories | Lex Fridman Podcast #479

Description

Dave Plummer is a programmer, former Microsoft software engineer (Windows 95, NT, XP), creator of Task Manager, author of two books on autism, and host of the Dave's Garage YouTube channel, where he shares stories from his career, insights on software development, and deep dives into technology. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep479-sb See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. *Transcript:* https://lexfridman.com/dave-plummer-transcript *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact *EPISODE LINKS:* Dave's X: https://x.com/davepl1968 Dave's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavesGarage Dave's Secondary YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@davepl Dave's GitHub: https://github.com/PlummersSoftwareLLC Dave's Books: https://amzn.to/41qd5IB *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *UPLIFT Desk:* Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep479-sb *ZocDoc:* App that helps patients find healthcare providers. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/zocdoc-ep479-sb *Fin:* AI agent for customer service. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep479-sb *Allio Capital:* AI-powered investment app that uses global macroeconomic trends. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/allio_capital-ep479-sb *Shopify:* Sell stuff online. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep479-sb *OUTLINE:* 0:00 - Introduction 1:22 - First computer 7:00 - Dropping out of high-school 14:41 - Joining Microsoft 16:53 - MS-DOS 20:05 - Windows 95 26:52 - The man behind Windows 31:48 - Debugging 37:05 - Task Manager 42:14 - 3D Pinball: Space Cadet 47:13 - Start menu and taskbar 58:12 - Blue Screen of Death 1:00:21 - Best programmers 1:08:22 - Scariest time of Dave's l